October Reading Thread 2014 - Boo!

[The Wolves]

^ I have his complete works also and I hope to read some by next week.

I just finished reading The Picture of Dorian Gray and I liked it there were some memorable quotes in there by Lord Henry. But Oscar Wilde sometimes wrote the book like it was poetry it kinda irritated me but otherwise good book.

I have The Shinning that I'm starting today heard it was scary so I'm excited to start it.

[deleted01]

I've been reading The Complete Works of H.P. Lovecraft for October because I thought it would be 2spooky.

It's really not but its kind of an interesting read. I think cults and forbidden knowledge are interesting

My SO has been reading a few of his stories too. He seems to be enjoying them.

The King's Sister just isn't grabbing me. Dreary historical fiction. Might cast it aside in favour of The Wise Man's Fear, which is so huge it could prop up a bloody house.

[First of My Name]

I read To Kill a Mockingbird last week. Very good book, I loved Atticus. It could have used some editing in some places, and Scout and Jem felt way too smart for children their age, but it's easy to forgive these faults.

[deleted01]

Gave up with The King's Sister. Need to find someone to gift it to now.

Started Horns by Joe Hill. Pretty good so far. I heard the film is coming out at the end of the month, with Daniel Radcliffe.

[Iskaral Pust]

The author is from Spain, so I don't think that's a random association.

Thanks, I knew that. What I meant, but did not articulate, was that the "voice"/worldview was similar to other authors I have read from France/Spain/Italy. Not that I can immediately cite any specific examples. The tone is relaxed, lyrical and slightly fantastical; indulgent of human weakness or oddities; comments on youthful attitudes with the wisdom of age and a recognition that we all must learn for ourselves and will probably survive the process; prizes artful endeavor and is suspicious of material success (common in a lot of literature, I guess); familial relationships and bonds are more prominent.

[Raja]

I'm almost done with Bakker's The Darkness that comes before, it's been okay so far, but I've only really been on this book for the past couple of months, which is unlike me. I'm not even going to get close to my target for this year :(

[beniowa]

I finished A Taste fur Murder by Dixie Lyle. It's a bit of a little mystery cozy with a big dash of fantastical stuff, like reincarnated cats and animal ghosts, thrown in. It's a decent enough story that might be mildly diverting for the casual reader or someone just looking for something different with some humor, but the big plotholes and dicey logic won't satisfy more discerning readers.

[Maester Hodor]

Right now I'm reading City of Stairs because all the cool kids are doing it. I'm a little over halfway through it, and it's a really good book. I have a feeling it's going to have a crazy ending.

My next book will probably be The Slow Regard of Silent Things by Pat Rothfuss. It still doesn't come out for another 10 days or so, so I might take my time reading the book I'm currently reading.

[Starkess]

Thanks, I knew that. What I meant, but did not articulate, was that the "voice"/worldview was similar to other authors I have read from France/Spain/Italy. Not that I can immediately cite any specific examples. The tone is relaxed, lyrical and slightly fantastical; indulgent of human weakness or oddities; comments on youthful attitudes with the wisdom of age and a recognition that we all must learn for ourselves and will probably survive the process; prizes artful endeavor and is suspicious of material success (common in a lot of literature, I guess); familial relationships and bonds are more prominent.

Ahh, gotcha. I think you describe the tone very well (which I loved about the book), though I guess I would not particularly associate it with the region.

[Yersinia]

Finished The Dark Defiles, by Richard Morgan. I have mixed feelings about the resolution but really loved the series as a whole, especially the characters.

Now off to find something a bit kinder and gentler, that won't make me cry at work when I make the mistake of reading it during my lunch break...umm, not that this did, of course not!

[polishgenius]

Now off to find something a bit kinder and gentler, that won't make me cry at work when I make the mistake of reading it during my lunch break...umm, not that this did, of course not!

You want the little ray of sunshine that is the work of Felix Gilman in your life, you do.

[Guinevere Seaworth]

I finished the omnibus Miles, Mutants and Microbes. Fantastic stuff as always. I'm starting to get a little sad that I'm almost done reading the Vorkosigan Saga. That has to be one of the most enjoyable series I've picked up lately.
Now reading A Casket of Souls by Lynn Flewelling. I have not enjoyed the storyline of the last two books. I'm hoping the the return to Rhiminee and politics will make this one more likable.

[Peadar]

I am now reading Naomi Klein's This Changes Everything. Its message is that our hesitation on fixing Climate Change has brought us to the point where the only possible solution is to totally remake our society. Interesting, so far (20%), but it doesn't feel as watertight to me as her other books. And it needs to be watertight if such a radical message is to have any chance of success.

[RedEyedGhost]

I finished the omnibus Miles, Mutants and Microbes. Fantastic stuff as always. I'm starting to get a little sad that I'm almost done reading the Vorkosigan Saga. That has to be one of the most enjoyable series I've picked up lately.

I can't remember, but have you been skipping the non-Miles books? If so, now would be a good time to read them, and save Cryoburn for last.

[HexMachina]

I'm reading The Inheritance by Megan Lindholm/Robin Hobb. Read the first short story so far, which I really enjoyed. I think that is the first time I've read her writing as Megan Lindholm. I was also surprised to learn that her real name is not Megan, but Margaret

[Er Rn]

I loved Dark Places. It is my favorite of the Gillian Flynn books so far. She writes such great characters that are so realistic and not very likable, but you root for them anyway. While I found the ending of this book a little more predictable than the others, it was still satisfying without tying it all up in a neat bow.

Next I think I'll get back to the Black Sun's Daughter series with the third book, Vicious Grace.

[Guinevere Seaworth]

I can't remember, but have you been skipping the non-Miles books? If so, now would be a good time to read them, and save Cryoburn for last.

Nope. I have been reading all of the novellas and non Miles stories. I do know someone was skipping the non Miles story, but I can't remember who.

[SkynJay]

I am reading We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler. Each time I see a hint that makes me think I know what is going on I am shown that all I have succeeded at is picking up the intentional hints and the author is still playing with me. It is good.

[Eponine]

Finished Lies of Locke Lamora for the very first time. Recommended to me by HowdyPhillip. It was uneven but overall enjoyable. The worldbuilding fit right into my tastes - urban, fantastic, magic built into the background (like the Elderglass), the city has its own story separate from the immediate characters. I liked the flashbacks, often more than the real story. I also like scheming and politicking more than epic adventure stuff. Thinking about it a bit more, on paper, this was the perfect book for me.

I hit a rough patch around 25% where I set the thing down for a month because I just wasn't that interested. When I picked it up again, I got more interested quickly, but felt that the ending was sloppy and unbelievable compared to the lengthy setup. However, it makes it into my top 10% of series for this year simply because I'm willing to keep reading the next book.

Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin is up next. Recommended by REG. ETA: Sorry, I got 10 pages into this and realized that I didn't want to read it. Already the writing was so very purple and there was 700 pages of it. The summary didn't sound like something I'd be into. It sounds urban and meandering, which I did ask for, but also spiritual-y and overwrought and romance-y. I hate-read a lot of books this year for the rec list and although I don't usually quit a book, I'm realizing that I don't have to start things that don't feel interesting to me anymore. End ETA. I had a little backlog of recommendations. I'm also going to look into the recommendations from the thread I started on the back 51 of the rec list.

[First of My Name]

I started Apt Pupil by Stephen King. This is just the kind of stuff I like.